Bear Cuisine

Corned Beef Hash

One of the best things about having corned beef in the fridge is that you can make hash. This happens to be one of my favorite special breakfasts (or supper for that matter), but it is rare that you can get good Corned Beef Hash in a restaurant. Most of the time you get tinned meat and frozen potatoes. Yuck! But when you make it at home from corned beef that you have made, you have a splendid dish. This recipe from from David Rosengarten.

 CORNED BEEF HASH

(4 servings)

• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
  
• 2 cups diced onion
  
• 3 tablespoons flour
  
• 2 cups dicd, peeled, cooked potato
  
• 3 cups diced, leftover corned beef
  

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Melt butter in a 10 1/2-inch  cast-iron skillet over low heat. Add onion to skillet and cook, stirring occasionally until the onion is transparent.

Sprinkle flour over the onions and stir to blend well. Cook for 2 minutes more, stirring occasionally. Increase heat to medium. Add potato and corned beef. Continue to cook for another minute, stirring constantly. Cover skillet and place in preheated oven. Bake for 30 minutes.

 Serve with a poached egg on top. 

Oeufs En Cocotte

These baked eggs are one of my favorite things to make, especially when fresh tomatoes are available locally. the timing on these is tricky and I have subjected Kay to this breakfast many times in my efforts to get it just right. She says she doesn't mind and claims to like even the less-than-perfect versions. 

OEUFS EN COCOTTE

• 1 tablespoon butter 
• 6 to 8 scallions sliced
• 1 tomato, diced
• Salt and pepper
• 4 eggs
• 1/4 cup heavy cream

Heat the oven to 350 degrees F . Melt the butter . Add the scallions and fry until they are a golden brown. Season with salt and pepper and put them in the ramekins. Spread the diced tomato on top of the scallions.

Break an egg into each ramekin; then, spoon 1 tablespoon of cream over each egg. Place the ramekins in a roasting pan and pour boiling water in the pan until the water comes half-way up the ramekins.

Put pan in the oven and bake the eggs 8 to 10 minutes until the whites are just about set. The eggs will continue to cook for a minute or two in the hot ramekins after you take from the oven.

You can vary the ingredients in these and play with the combinations that you like. In the version shown here, I used a bit of chorizo. A New Mexican riff on a French classic. Why not?

Scrapple

Without a doubt, you will recognize the bacon on the top of the plate, but you might not recognize the scrapple just below it. I grew up eating scrapple on the Eastern Shore of Maryland and was delighted to discover that Pennsylvania boasts an even finer version of this dish. Tina and David always cook it whenever we visit. They know I love it and that it is another eastern product that isn't to be found in New Mexico. Occasionally, a restaurant will feature it; but grocery stores just don't stock it. 

According to The New Food Lover's Companion "the name of this Pennsylvania Dutch dish is derived from the finely chopped 'scraps' of cooked pork that are mixed with fine ground cornmeal, pork broth and seasonings before being cooked into a mush. The mush is packed into loaf pans and cooled. Slices of the scrapple are then cut from the loaves, fried in butter and served hot..." This definition is delicate enough that it doesn't explain that the scraps usually used come from a pig's head. Like sausage, it is probably better not to think about what has been used in making this dish.

A less authentic, but easier and equally delicious version of scrapple is offered  in Bruce Aidells' Complete Book of Pork.

SCRAPPLE

1. 1 1/2 pounds bulk fresh sausage
2. 1 1/2 cups finely chopped onions
3. 3 cups pork stock or chicken stock
4. 1 1/2 cups yellow cornmeal
5. 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
6. 1 teaspoon dried sage
7. 1/2 teaspoons dried marjoram
8. 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
9. 2 tablespoons lard, olive oil or bacon drippings

In a large heavy skillet, cook the sausage over medium-high heat for 3 minutes, breaking it up with a spatula or fork. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons the fat and add the onions. Lower the heat to medium-low, cover, and cook for 5 minutes. Set aside.

In a large saucepan, bring the stock to a boil and stir in the cornmeal, salt, sage, marjoram and pepper. Lower the heat to maintain a simmer and cook, stirring frequently, for about 20 minutes. Stir in the reserved sausage and onion mixture and cook for 5 minutes. Moisten a loaf pan with water and pour in the scrapple mixture. Allow to cool, then press a piece of plastic wrap directly on top of the scrapple and refrigerate overnight. It keeps 5 days refrigerated.

To serve, unmold the scrapple and slice 1/2 inch think. heat the lard or oil in a skillet over medium heat, add the slices and fry until nicely browned, about 3 to 6 minutes per side.

Trust me, this is a fabulous breakfast!

Stove Top Biscuits

It was Sunday morning; our oven wasn't working. What to do? James Villas to the rescue with his recipe for biscuits cooked on top of the stove.

OLD-FASHIONED STOVETOP BISCUITS

(makes about 1 dozen biscuits)

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
  
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
  
• 1 teaspoon salt
  
• 1/4 cup chilled lard, cut into bits
  
• 1 cup whole milk
  
• 1/4 cup lard for frying
  

1. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add the chilled lard and cut it in with a pastry cutter or rub with your fingertips till the mixture is meal. Add the milk ad mix till the dough is smooth. Pinch off 12 pieces of dough of equal size, form each piece into a ball, and flatten the balls with your hands to about 1/4 inch thick.

2. In a medium-size cast-iron skillet, melt 2 tablespoons of the lard over medium-low heat, add half the flattened balls, fry till both sides of the biscuits are browned, about 12 minutes in all, and drain on paper towels. Repeat with the remaining 2 tablespoons lard and the remaining dough balls. Serve hot.

FYI: 1 tablespoon of lard contains 12 mg. of cholesterol versus 33 mg. in the same quantity of butter.

(James Villas. Biscuit Bliss. Boston, MA.:The Harvard Common Press, 2004)

Some of these disappeared before I could get a picture of them.

Christmas Breakfast

This is one of the easiest versions of this I have ever made and one of the best. This could well be the definitive version of this breakfast classic.

NEVER-FAIL SOUFFLE

(serves 8)

12 eggs

1. 2 cups half-and-half
   
2. Pinch red pepper flakes
   
3. 3 cups grated extra-sharp cheddar
   
4. 1 loaf white bread, crusts removed and bread cut into 1-inch cubes
   
5. Salt and freshly ground white pepper
   
6. 6 tablespoons butter, melted
   

1. Beat eggs, half-and-half and red pepper flakes together in a large bowl until well mixed and set aside Sprinkle 1 cup of the cheese on the bottom of a 9" x 12" baking dish. cover cheese with two-thirds of the bread and season to taste with salt and pepper. Repeat layering seasoning second layer with salt and pepper and the remaining cheese and bread, ending with a layer of cheese. Pour egg mixture evenly over cheese and bread then drizzle with melted butter. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

2. Allow souffle to come to room temperature. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. bake souffle until puffed and golden, about 45 minutes.

I cut this recipe in half and it would have fed six people nicely.